It can still be fixed, right?
by Jens the Homo
Summary: Aomine is willing to have a new start with Kise, but life has other plans. Creative titles are not my strongest point. OTL


** Warnings:** Character death, probably OOC'ness, a bit of language. Also possibly an OC or two, I'm not really sure about that myself.

* * *

Every time Aomine leaves her apartment, he thinks he shouldn't come back ever again. He should just ignore her calls, refuse to meet up, not answer the door when she rings the doorbell. And yet somehow he finds himself in her apartment time after time, unable to say the words he's been meaning to say for, well, he doesn't even remember exactly how long now.

_I don't love you anymore._

* * *

Kise's smile is as bright as ever when he opens the door and sees Aomine.

"Aominecchi! I wasn't expecting you today, I thought you were going to be with…her." Kise's voice loses some of its cheerfulness as he talks and by the end of the sentence it's barely audible.

The two men have made a point of never mentioning the name of Aomine's girlfriend and instead refer to her as 'that woman' or just simply 'her'. Even so, it pains Kise to even think of her existence. If it wasn't for her, Kise could have Aomine all for himself. Sometimes he can't help but wonder what would've happened if he'd met Aomine before that woman.

"I'm going to dump her", Aomine says in a low voice. Kise blinks at him and then laughs a bit.

"You always say that and yet you never do. But it's fine, I'm okay as long as I get to see Aominecchi, even if it's only now and then."

"It's not fine. It's not fair to you or to her. I shouldn't have got involved with you before breaking up with her, but I did. I thought I could manage it somehow, but I just can't do this anymore. I don't feel anything for her anymore. The only person I think about night and day is you, Kise, and that's why I want to be with you and not her."

Kise goes red upon hearing those words. For a while neither of them says anything, but then Kise gets over his shock and mumbles, "Well, maybe you should come in. Unless you're planning to go back to her house to break up with her tonight?"

Kise looks at Aomine with pleading eyes, clearly begging him not to leave. As a response, Aomine steps inside and pulls the door shut after himself with one hand while his other hand grabs Kise's shoulder and pulls the blonde in for a passionate kiss.

"How could I leave when you're making those eyes at me? Idiot." Kise chuckles against Aomine's mouth.

"I love you, Aominecchi."

* * *

"I'm pregnant."

Aomine really doesn't know how to respond to that. Walking to his girlfriend's apartment, he felt so confident. While ringing the doorbell he knows exactly what he's going to say to the stupid woman who's keeping him from being with the one he really loves. But then she opens her mouth and those horrible words pour out.

"What?!" Okay, definitely not the best way to react to the situation, but it's the only intelligent word he can force out of his mouth at the moment.

She smiles at him, all happy. "I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby, Aomine-kun!"

_I can't have a baby with you, I'm trying to break up with you here! _Aomine thinks in panic.

"I-I had no idea, I mean-" Aomine can't believe he's actually stuttering. He never stutters, but right now he feels incapable of speaking properly.

She just keeps beaming at him. "Oh, I was just as surprised as you were when I first did the test. But today, I went to see the doctor and he confirmed it. I'm really going to have a baby!"

Really, Aomine doesn't have the faintest clue what he's supposed to say, so he doesn't say anything.

Apparently, she thinks Aomine's stunned with happiness and decides to hug him. "We're going to be the best parents ever!"

_Yeah right. I'm in love with a man and I only came here today to dump you. I haven't felt anything for you for the longest time and I'm not the least bit happy about becoming a father. At least not if it's your baby. But sure, we're going to be the best parents ever._

Despite his great efforts to somehow tell her he's leaving her, Aomine doesn't seem to be able to open his mouth. And when she rises on her toes to plant a kiss on his mouth, Aomine finds himself kissing back.

* * *

The look on Kise's face when Aomine tells him the news is heartbreaking. He looks about ready to cry and yet not a single tear drop falls.

"It's not a joke, is it?" Kise's voice still holds a little hope that maybe Aomine's just pulling his leg and his girlfriend really isn't pregnant at all.

"There's still the possibility that she was joking, but I don't really think so", Aomine answers, avoiding Kise's eyes.

_Oh god, why did this have to happen right now? It must sound like I'm just making excuses so that I wouldn't have to break it off with her. After being all cocky about wanting to dump her I just come back saying she's having my child and I didn't have the heart to dump her? Yeah, he has the full right to hate me._

"You should stay with her, Aominecchi."

Aomine's gaze snaps to Kise so fast it almost hurts his neck. "What?"

"You heard me. I think you should stay with her until the baby is born. And even after that."

"Kise, I don't give a damn about that stupid bitch, she can do whatever she likes for all I care. Please, I'll do whatever, I just can't break up with you."

Aomine realizes that it's not like him to beg, but he doesn't care. He's only telling the truth, after all.

Kise bites his lip. "No. I can't be with you. You really shouldn't be involved with me right now. She can't do something like having a baby without her boyfriend. And isn't it good for you, now you can have a family. That's something I could never give you."

"Kise, I'm not going to leave you-"

"You have to be there for her, Aomine!"

No nickname. Kise must be really angry. No, even more than that, he's hurt and disappointed.

"You told me so many times you were going to leave her, but I knew you wouldn't. Even if you didn't love her, it was still to difficult for you to officially admit that you were in love with another man. I thought I'd be okay with it nonetheless, because I loved you and knowing that you preferred the time you spent with me to the time you spent with her made me really happy."

Kise stopped for a moment to take a shaky breath. "But do you really think I could be happy with you when your girlfriend's pregnant with your child?! Do you really think I could just smile and say 'okay, let's keep seeing each other just like before'? Well I can't! You have to stay with her and just forget about me, because I want a lover who will be only mine. I don't want to share you with anyone and that's why this ends here!"

"I really was ready to throw her away! It was just bad luck she told me she was pregnant the very same day that I was going to leave her!" Aomine knows he has no right to get angry at Kise, but he can't help it. He can't let it end just like that.

"If you really loved me and were ready to throw her away to be with me, then why couldn't you do it earlier? Before all this her being pregnant stuff?!"

Aomine tries to say something, but doesn't have an answer.

"Get out. And don't you dare to come back. I'm going to find a lover who's willing to be only mine from the beginning and I'm going to forget you, Aomine Daiki."

With that, Kise pushes Aomine out of his apartment and closes the door before the other man has a chance to open his mouth.

* * *

Kise has always been quite the cry baby, but he can't remember ever crying this much before. After throwing Aomine out of his apartment, he barely makes it to his bed before his legs give way under him and he falls to the bed and starts sobbing uncontrollably.

_Why, Aominecchi? Why couldn't you just leave her and be only mine from the start? That would've been enough for me, for real. I just love you so much._

No amount of tears is going to bring Aomine back. Kise knows that but frankly, it doesn't do much to stop him from crying. He can't even breath properly anymore, his whole body hurts and the tears just keep coming.

_I love you, I love you, I love you. Please come back. Be mine. I love you so much, Aominecchi._

* * *

She doesn't even realize how indifferent Aomine is. She just keeps going on and on about how great it's going to be to have a child. She has already told her parents and they seem just as happy about the news.

Aomine, however, feels like he isn't even alive anymore. The picture of Kise shouting at him burns his retina when he's awake and at night he can't sleep because he knows that once he closes his eyes he's going to dream of Kise.

_Aomine remembers falling for Kise pretty much at first sight. The blonde is so pretty with his flawless skin and dazzling smile that even Aomine, who's always considered himself straight, can't help but be stunned with his beauty. They flirt around for a long time before Kise finally hesitantly asks what exactly Aomine wants from him._

_"You have a girlfriend, right, Aominecchi? I don't really want you to cheat on her. If you want something, you'll have to become my exclusive lover." Aomine can clearly see that Kise's already head over heels in love with him and it makes him happy. Way happier than his girlfriend loving him has ever done._

_And so he convinces Kise that they can work it out even if Aomine's still with his girlfriend._

Now, Aomine really regrets it. _Kise was right. It was just too difficult for me to admit that I was in love with a man. Even though I knew how I felt, there was no way I could have told anyone about my relationship with Kise. Shit, why was I so scared? Who would've judged me for finding love?_

_Well, _she_ would've._

After all, he's been messing around with Kise while still in a relationship with her. Not that Aomine would mind if she started hating him, but he's already done enough damage as it is.

_Why did I ever think two-timing would be a good thing? All I managed to do with it was break Kise's heart. And actually my own as well. And if I tell her now… oh shit. I don't even want to imagine how she'd react to that._

Aomine never cries, it's not part of his style, but he's almost certain that the reason his vision seems to blur isn't just because his eyes are tired.

* * *

Lying in bed all day has become Kise's favourite thing to do during the weeks after breaking up with Aomine. Getting up in the morning holds no meaning to him. When he was with Aomine, he always waited for night-time with eagerness because there was always the possibility of meeting up with Aomine, even if they hadn't made any plans.

Now, the only thing Kise waits for is someone, anyone, to call him and tell him to move on. So far, no one's even realized he's feeling down, which is a bit weird, as Kise's eyes are all red and puffy from crying all the time. Then again, he hasn't really left his apartment except when he's visited the nearby convenience store to buy something to eat.

His ex-boyfriend Kasamatsu (whom he dated before Aomine) has been calling him, asking to meet up some time. Kise always answers the calls and acts as if he's fine, but always ends up rejecting Kasamatsu's invitations. He's become a master at making up small white lies, like 'I've been busy lately', 'I'm too tired today' or 'I don't have any money to go out'. Kasamatsu believes him every time, though.

_Maybe next time I'll just go somewhere with him. Telling someone could help. It's not like me to be so unsocial, people are surely going to notice something's wrong sooner or later._

* * *

The longer Aomine spends apart from Kise the more he thinks about him. He misses the feel of Kise's soft hair in his hands and that sparkling smile. He also misses the way Kise moans Aomine's name when they're in bed and the way Kise's back arches when he's about to come and-

"Aomine-kun~! I think we should go meet your parents to tell them the news!"

Aomine stares at the woman who's going become the mother of his child. Great. Just what he needs. Her parents already voiced out that Aomine should propose to her, and Aomine knows that his parents would do exactly the same. And it makes sense. After all, they're going to have a child, so getting married would be a reasonable thing to do.

To Aomine, however, it feels more like a death sentence. How could he marry a woman when he loves Kise? But maybe he shouldn't think about Kise anymore. The blonde told him he was going to forget Aomine and find himself a better lover, after all.

And yet, Aomine wants nothing more than to run to Kise, hug him, and never let him go again.

He also hates his girlfriend with growing passion.

* * *

Kise forces his usual smile on his face when he leaves his apartment to go to work. After being on a sick leave for almost a month (of course he hasn't really been sick, just very heart-broken) he finally feels ready to take on the world again. Aomine is nothing but an ex-lover, and Kise's going to get over him no matter what.

_No matter what,_ he tells himself_. I have to smile, otherwise people are going to find out. I can't tell anyone yet. I can't meet with Kasamatsu either; he knows me so well he'd see right away that something's wrong._

So Kise the flower shop assistant tries to fake a smile all day and, to his own amazement, succeeds.

* * *

Are fathers supposed to feel something towards the baby when it's still inside the mother's womb? Aomine doesn't know, but what he does know is that he doesn't really feel anything when he looks at his girlfriend's growing belly.

_I wonder if Kise's already found someone else… no, how could he, he's mine._

_Except he's not anymore._ Aomine tries his hardest to transfer at least some of his feelings of love towards his girlfriend and the baby (_my son or daughter_, Aomine realises with a slight panic), but no matter what he tries, Kise keeps popping in his head and interrupting his dreams.

The stupid woman still doesn't notice a thing. In her mind, everything seems to be all pink and rainbows and other happy things. Aomine grows more and more annoyed by her day by day.

_How can she think we're fine? How can she possibly not realise I don't give a damn about her?_

* * *

Aomine doesn't sleep much and when his girlfriend starts begging him to spend the night at her place on an almost daily basis, he refuses. He's pretty sure he dreams of Kise every damn night and he doesn't want to take the risk of her finding out. He's going to tell her because he will get Kise back and to be able to do that he has to dump her, but revealing something as important as that by talking in his sleep is not something Aomine wants to do.

Instead, he waits for the perfect opportunity to talk to her. It will probably have to wait until the baby's born; right now, she seems to think of nothing but the baby.

_And how do people admit to having cheated on their lovers, anyway? Do I just say, 'oh by the way, I've been sleeping with a guy during our relationship'? But I have to tell her, otherwise I'm going to go crazy. If I'm ever going to settle down with a family, it's going to be with Kise. I just need to find the words, that's all. I'm not running away from my feelings. Not anymore. If Kise's ever willing to take me back, I'll tell him I love him every day and I'll it to the world, too, if that's what he needs to be reassured of my feelings._

* * *

During the last few months of pregnancy, Aomine finally succumbs to her begging and practically moves in with his girlfriend. He still has his own apartment but he spends almost every night at her place.

He still isn't happy about the arrangement, though. Her hormones are going crazy and everything Aomine says seems to either make her laugh like a maniac or cry like a waterfall. Her large belly is disgusting and Aomine misses Kise more than ever.

Sometimes, he finds himself wondering what could've become of the two of them if Kise was a woman. The one to carry Aomine's child wouldn't be the stupid woman but Kise. Oh yes, Aomine definitely likes that thought.

He starts imagining what a female version of Kise would look like. Long, blonde hair, of course, and the same pretty eyes that the real Kise has. She wouldn't be as tall as Kise is but not too short either. The female Kise doesn't even exist and yet Aomine finds himself more attracted to her than to his girlfriend. Replacing his girlfriend with the imaginary female Kise in his head gets Aomine through the days of wanting to do nothing more than to run out of that woman's apartment and never come back.

* * *

Whenever Kise sees someone pushing a baby carriage, he can't help but think about Aomine.

_I wonder if the baby's going to look more like him or that woman… If it looks like him, that would be so cute. A miniature Aominecchi. _Kise chuckles a bit but then feels a sting in his chest. It still hurts to think about Aomine.

And, despite his words on the day he dumped Aomine, Kise still hasn't got himself a new lover or even tried to forget Aomine. To be honest, Kise feels ashamed of himself. It's not the first he's broken up with someone and it's not the first time he's given way more than received in a relationship, either. Despite that, he still cries himself to sleep on most nights and wakes up with the last bits of dreams of Aomine still fresh in his mind. It drives him mad.

He wants to go see Aomine so bad that many times he actually gets dressed to go ring his doorbell, but then he reminds himself of the fact that Aomine's going to become a father soon, and stays at home.

* * *

Aomine is getting increasingly careless. It's only a couple of weeks until the due date and he's decided that after the baby's born, instead of asking of her to marry him (which everyone seems to expect to happen) he's going to tell her about Kise and leave. He can't think of anything else but how to apologise to Kise and get him to forgive him, and while his mind ponders over countless possibilities to do that, many of which end in mindless make-up sex, he accidentally calls his girlfriend Kise more than once.

Even she, in all her we're-going-to-have-a-baby-craze, can't not notice Aomine's slips of tongue.

"Who's Kise?"

She catches Aomine by surprise three days before the due date. At first, Aomine almost decides to laugh it all off, pretend it's nothing she needs to concern herself about. But then he realises it's his chance to come clean.

"I think we'd better discuss this later." Still, Aomine's decides to stick to his decision to tell her only after the birth of the child.

"Why can't we talk now? If there's someone else, I need to know! I don't want to marry a man who's cheating on me and I most definitely don't want my child to be raised by someone who thinks it's okay to two-time!"

"Who says we're getting married? I've never said I was going to propose to you!" Aomine snaps and a split second after the words have left his mouth he regrets saying them. But it's too late. She's already heard them and stares at Aomine with wide eyes.

"W-what?" Her voice is full of the same kind of hurt as Kise's was the night he ended his relationship with Aomine. Aomine feels a huge wave of guilt wash over him. _No, not this again. Why do I keep hurting people?_

Suddenly, she gasps and clings to her belly. Aomine moves forward instinctively.

"What is it?"

"It really hurts…" She sounds scared. Aomine is kind of glad of the distraction. It gives him an excuse to postpone the inevitable conversation about Kise and their future.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital. You know, just to make sure it's all right." He almost feels like a good husband who's genuinely worried about the safety of his girlfriend and baby. Almost. At the back of his mind, there's a voice that keeps telling him that the sooner the bitch gives birth to the baby, the sooner he can go to Kise to beg for his forgiveness.

* * *

One Saturday night, Kise finally agrees to meet with Kasamatsu. He's tired of spending his evenings by watching some irrelevant TV-shows or annoying films and crying his eyes out. He's going to live again.

Kasamatsu hasn't really changed from how Kise remembers him. He's still shorter than Kise (it's not like Kise actually thinks he would've grown, they're adults after all), has a rather serious look on his face and looks absolutely delighted to see Kise.

"It's been a while, huh?" Kasamatsu says and smiles at Kise. The blonde nods, returning the smile.

"I'm so sorry I've been refusing to meet up, I just didn't feel like seeing… you." The truth is, Kise hasn't felt like seeing anyone, but he doesn't want to tell that to the older man. At least not right away. Kasamatsu nods.

"That's okay. You're seeing someone else now, right, so meeting up with your ex probably isn't the best idea." Kise's eyes widen at Kasamatsu's words. _Oh, that's right… I haven't told anyone me and Aominecchi broke up._

Kise manages a broken smile. "Actually, that's not the reason. Aominecchi had absolutely no problem with me meeting my ex or whomever I wanted, it's just…" He can't break down now, it's been so many months since then! He's done a good job surviving this long, so why would he give up now?

_Smile, Ryouta, smile. Just smile and casually tell him that you broke up with Aominecchi and then ask, hey, what do you say you and me try it out again, Kasamatsu?_

Despite telling himself to smile countless times, Kise can't fight the tears that start running down his cheeks.

* * *

Kasamatsu waits patiently until Kise's tears have stopped. When Kise wipes his eyes with a handkerchief Kasamatsu gives him, the older man opens his mouth.

"You broke up or something?" He tries to make his tone sympathetic and understanding but there's a hint of relief as well. Kise doesn't react to the question in any way for a very long time. Kasamatsu's almost sure that he's not going to answer at all when Kise suddenly starts to talk.

"He had a girlfriend and I was the secret lover. He always told me he would dump her to be with me, but he never did. And then his girlfriend got pregnant." Kise's voice is full of pain. _Damn it, isn't it almost time for the baby to be born? And I'm still hoping Aomine would just come back, no matter what I said to him back then? I'm so pathetic._

"…you know, I would never do anything like that to you." Kasamatsu really had no intention of trying to get the blonde back when he asked him to go for drinks, but seeing him this broken just makes him so mad. Mad at whoever has hurt Kise.

"I've missed you a lot. And to be honest, I don't really even remember why we broke up in the first place." Kasamatsu's words set Kise's eyes on fire.

"Well I do. I dumped you because I met a very charming young man who openly flirted with me from day one. He promised me all kinds of things and I let him convince me that he could give me something better than you, even if he was already dating someone. So I broke your heart only to be with someone who would later break my heart. Of course, there was no way I could've known that back then, but still… I don't deserve someone like you, who would love me unconditionally."

Kise stands up. "I really need a clean break from everything, and getting back together with an old lover doesn't fit into that. I'm sorry."

Kasamatsu can't do anything but stare at Kise's back as the blonde makes his way out of the bar.

* * *

Aomine paces back and forth in the hospital lobby. His girlfriend's parents are there, too, but they're sitting and seem a little annoyed about Aomine's restlessness.

_She's giving birth. I should be there next to her bed, holding her hand, telling her it's going to be fine and all that other crap a good and loving boyfriend would do. But I can't really bear to see her right now. Fuck, she's really having my baby. This feels so weird._

"Shouldn't you go see how it's going, Aomine-kun?" For a moment Aomine doesn't even realise his girlfriend's mother is talking to her, but then he snaps out of his thoughts.

"I'd just feel useless and out of place. I think it's better for me to stay here." Aomine's nervous. _When she can leave the hospital, I'll tell her._

He knows his mind should be fully occupied with the woman who's having his baby in the room just a few meters away, but instead he finds himself repeating four words over and over again in his head.

_I love you, Kise._

* * *

Well, one thing's for sure: Aomine still doesn't feel anything for his child when he sees him for the first time. It's a boy with black hair and slightly tanned skin (not as tanned as Aomine's skin though). The baby's mother smiles weakly at Aomine.

"Wow. We really have a child now, Aomine-kun… whether you want it or not." Her last words pierce Aomine's heart like a knife_. If I'd had the choice, I wouldn't have started a family with you, but what can I do now? I need to be honest. I need to be with Kise. I don't want to see you anymore._

"I'll stay with you, at least for now. I still have to tell you who Kise is and there are other things we need to settle. I'm sorry." Aomine flashes a strained smile and leaves the room.

* * *

During the next few days she doesn't seem to be in too high spirits. Aomine offers to stay with her until she feels better and she accepts, not wanting to back to her parents' house. Only her depression doesn't seem to subside.

_Just what I need. Geez, am I ever going to able to be free of her? _Most of the time, Aomine is occupied with taking care of the baby and its mother. Her parents are still pushing him to propose, but he tells them she's too weak and blahblahblah. He will let them know about Kise, too, but he wants to tell her first.

Weeks pass and she still shows no signs of recovering.

_It's been so long since I've last seen Kise. Must be close to a year already. I wonder what he's doing now. What if he's found someone else and forgotten me? Nah, he couldn't. He's mine._

One day, Aomine can't take it anymore. She's passive and shows no real interest in anything, not even in the baby. Her parents are worried, as are her friends, but it just ticks Aomine off even more. He's never been a very patient person, after all.

"Listen up, woman. I don't care how depressed you are or whatever it is that's bugging you, but I just want to get this off my chest before it eats me alive. Okay?" No response.

"I met a guy called Kise and fooled around with him. No, actually it wasn't fooling around. Well it was at first, but then I fell in love with him. So we had a thing and I was all set to dump you, but then you announced that you were pregnant, so it didn't go as planned. He dumped me."

She's looking at him now, eyes wide in shock. "I still love him and that's why I can't be with you. So there you go, damn woman. I haven't loved you for a long time. So just stop moping and get on with your life. You deserve it, you've never done anything bad to me and yet I treated you like trash."

"…Kise… is a man…?" Her voice is weak and disbelieving.

Aomine nods. He's finally said it, it's out in the open. He doesn't feel the least bit ashamed when she gets up and looks at him.

"I need to think… please, Aomine-kun, could you go out for a while so I could be alone?"

Aomine nods, relieved to be able to leave the unpleasant atmosphere of her apartment. A small smile graces her lips as she waves at him at the door and shuts it behind him. Aomine lets out a sigh.

_Now I only have to figure out how to get in touch with Kise…_

* * *

She isn't home when Aomine comes back. He calls her name, looks through all the rooms (not that there are very many since the apartment is rather small), but she just isn't there. Aomine's puzzled.

_Where could she have gone? She's so weak she shouldn't go out by herself. Oh shit, I shouldn't have left her alone._ Aomine goes to check on the baby. It's sleeping. _Well,_ _that's one thing less to worry about._

Aomine returns to the entrance and contemplates the situation. Chances are that she's just gone out for a short walk; after all, during the last few weeks she hasn't left the house much. Still, there's something that tells Aomine that isn't the case. A nagging voice at the back of his head keeps saying that she's not fine.

_Damn, where could that woman have gone? Why wouldn't she leave a note or anything? She's going to come back, right? I mean she can't just abandon her child, no matter how much she might despise me._

Just then, when Aomine's thinking of calling someone to find out if they know anything of her whereabouts, his phone rings. The feeling of something not being right becomes stronger as he fishes the device from his pocket and answers the call.

* * *

Kise stares at the calendar where everyone's shifts are marked. Usually, he doesn't complain about the shifts he's given, but now, one particular day has been marked for him (the whole day!) and Kise shudders at the thought of having to complain to his boss about it. But he has to. After all, it's the anniversary of his father's death and he's not going to miss the annual trip to the grave because of work.

"No." Kise's boss, Akashi, is as adamant as ever in his decision. "I don't care what you have planned for that day, you have a shift. No one else could take it."

Kise almost starts crying. He knows that won't help, though; he's already tried his teary eyes on Akashi and the red-haired man hasn't shown any mercy to him. So he just nods and leaves the room.

_I'll just visit the grave the day after that, then. I'll make a real nice bouquet for dad and maybe it'll be fine._

Kise's upbeat nature has been rather hidden lately and thoughts like 'it'll be fine' are rare. But he's definitely feeling better by the day. Give it a few more months and he won't even remember Aomine's name, let alone his face. Or maybe a few more _years_ is what he needs. Who cares how long it takes as long as he gets there someday.

At least he's stopped hoping for things to go back to the way they were before; it seems like Aomine really isn't coming back, and what's the point of waiting for something that will never happen?

Kise's determined to survive the break up with the (possible) love of his life and that's why he faces every new day with a smile, even if it's a fake one most of the time.

* * *

Aomine carefully puts the flowers on the grave and sighs.

_I wasn't in love with you, but I didn't want you to die either. I'm so sorry._

The baby stirs in its carriage. Aomine smiles reassuringly. "It's all right, I'm right here."

He caresses the baby's cheek with tender fingers and smiles. "You know what? If I ever gather enough courage to go talk to Kise, you'll get to meet the one I love the most. And if he can ever forgive me, you'll get the most loving parents anyone could hope for."

A sharp breath behind his back makes Aomine turn around. For a while he just stares, not believing his eyes. Then, when his mouth finally starts to work again, he utters, "Kise…?"

It really is the blonde standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He's as pretty as Aomine remembers, and yet he seems different.

"Have you lost weight or something?" _Why did I say that? I need to __apologise__ first._

Kise doesn't say anything. His eyes are wide and he looks as if he's going to cry any second. Aomine steps closer, fighting the urge to hug the blonde.

"W-whose grave are you visiting?" Kise's voice is uneven and small, but god, Aomine's happy to hear it. He loves Kise so much, he's missed him like crazy and now that they've finally met again, though by pure coincidence, he's not going to mess up.

"My girlfriend's. She… I told her that I had been planning to break up with her before the news about the baby." It's still difficult to talk about it, but Aomine knows he has to tell Kise. Aomine has to let him know that he's still in love with him.

"You know how some women get really depressed after giving birth? She was like that. I was staying with her, even though she knew I didn't really want to, but she needed support. But then, she just disappeared one day." Aomine leans over the baby again. The memory of the time he spent with her, watching her suffer and knowing he was the one causing it, makes him feel so disgusted about himself.

"Later that day, I got a call. She'd been hit by a car. Someone had called an ambulance, but they couldn't save her." Aomine's voice breaks.

Kise just stares at him with teary eyes.

"Some woman saw the whole thing and in her opinion it was an accident, but I just can't shake the feeling that she killed herself. For real, I hate myself. I destroyed her life, I broke your heart and there's the baby. I can't take care of him, can I? I feel so guilty about what happened to his mom, and I'm still in love with you, and this is all just so fucked up."

Kise finally snaps out of whatever trance-like state he's been in and tosses the flowers to the ground as he takes a few steps towards Aomine to be able to throw his arms around him.

"I love you too, Aominecchi…" The tears Aomine's been holding for months finally flood his eyes and wet his cheeks. Aomine clings to Kise and cries like a baby.

* * *

"What's going to happen now?"

Aomine looks at Kise. There's nothing he can say to make that uncertainty in the other man's eyes disappear. He knows he's let Kise down and therefore has no right to ask for anything.

"I don't know", Aomine answers honestly. Kise blinks.

"You said you loved me, back at the graveyard. Did you really mean it?" The blonde's voice is a bit shaky.

Aomine nods firmly. "I know I don't have the right to ask anything of you, but I really wish we could… start over again." For a moment, Aomine considers asking to continue from where they left off, but then decides against it. Continue from a situation where he got dumped by the (possible) love of his life because he was stupid enough to two-time and accidentally get his girlfriend pregnant? Yeah, starting from the beginning definitely sounds like a way better plan.

For a while neither of the men says anything. Then, Kise raises his head and smiles. It's a genuine, beaming, very _Kise_ smile. Damn, Aomine's missed that smile more than he's realized.

"I'll give you a second chance, Aominecchi. But if you screw it up, it's the end."

That's all Aomine needs to hear. He grabs Kise and pulls him in for a deep kiss, with which he hopes Kise will understand all the feelings inside him that just can't be put into words.

"We'll be the best parents ever."

Kise chuckles against Aomine's mouth upon hearing his words. A lonely tear runs down his pale cheek.

"And I always thought I could never have children since I'm gay… really, Aominecchi, it'd be such a shame if you made another mistake…"

Aomine smiles. "I won't, I promise."

* * *

**A/N:** I like angst but hate sad endings, so this is what I came up with. And well, I'm actually kind of proud of this fic. Reviews are loved.


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